War's Burden
by AKFGdork
Summary: The Great War has draped a veil of death over the world, and, somehow, they have to cope. AxL One-Shot


His footsteps were light against the cold stone floors of the chapel at the Black Order. A nun's light sweep of her broom was rhythmic and soothing, the wavering of the candles were hypnotic and enchanting, and the wooden pews seemed soft in the shallow light; everything was calm. Allen couldn't help but smile, something better than a war-torn battlefield. His moment of bliss was turned into downcast worry as he saw an all too familiar silhouette linger in the first row of pews.

Lenalee sat comfortably, the rows and rows of candles before her seemed eerily familiar; some burnt out as if to count the dead, and the remaining were withering and dying. The thought plagued her mind, so many friends gone; so little of her world remaining. The Exorcist's eyes were solemn and forlorn, ghosts of her past haunting her so; her lips curled lightly into a somewhat cold smile, desperate to fight back tears. A war was raging, Akuma were relentless, people were dieing, her world was falling to pieces, and Lenalee felt that she could do _nothing_ to protect what she held dear.

A droplet caught the Allen's eye as it fell to Lenalee's knees, shattering into millions of glass shards in the candle lit chapel. Light trails of shining tears clung to her cream colored cheeks as her violet orbs held the flames; their gaze, sorrow filled and lost. Lenalee noticed the slight rustle of Allen's British Infantry uniform and shifted her tear filled eyes to meet him.

"Hey," the fellow Exorcist greeted, the old, wooden seat creaking from the new weight.

"Hey," her voice was raspy and choked with tears.

The silence screamed in their ears, the emptiness between them hardly filled by the nun's rhythmic sweeping. The calm and serene setting almost seemed surreal - it was unnerving. The sound of gunfire, screams, and death had become commonplace amongst them; it was almost jarring to have peace. Allen's thoughts were shattered as he heard a sniffle; Lenalee's silk, black locks hid her face, she didn't want him to see her breaking.

The sigh that Allen let slip between his lips gave a solemn air. He calmly laced an arm around her waist and drew her close. Lenalee's eyes widened, just as her face reddened; yet, she leaned on his shoulder gratefully. Peace just didn't seem right without someone.

"I'm sorry for being so weak," her voice cracked and tore with her falling tears, head turned away in shame.

"You're not weak," His soothing voice resonated in his young features, Allen's sky blue eyes were as calming and as enchanting as ocean waves. He pulled up his right hand and gently turned her face toward him, "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be here." His callous fingers wiped the tears away in an attempt to banish the sorrow that bred it.

"I wasn't able to save Kanda, Crowley, Noise, Johnny, Reever, - " Her throat closed, and her words turned to sobs as she remembered the pieces of her lost world. The list went on and on, so many people had died. Fresh tears came, and her body shook with sobs as the memories of lost friends flooded back.

Allen held her tight, wanting to protect her from pain. It would come, it always came in wars, yet he felt as though a one as great a person as Lenalee should have to bear that burden. Her world was falling apart faster than it had ever before; Bookman and Lavi were on their death beds, Cloud was in critical condition, her brother was being hospitalized, and the death toll never seemed to stop rising. It wasn't just a war with Akuma; there were many more machines: guns, mustard gas, tanks, and bombs. The Akuma weren't the demons, the humans were.

He could feel her body's shudder and heave with sobs and tears against his chest; warm tears soaking his clothes. Allen gently rubbed circles around her back as she gripped onto him.

"I can't do anything," she cried in his chest between sniffles and coarse breaths, "Brother won't let me help you out in the field. He keeps on pressing that the trenches are too dangerous. " - She took in a deep breath and looked up at him; her eyes pleading, desperate almost. – "I don't want to leave you out there to die!" Lenalee gripped Allen tighter, the thought of another piece of her world fading away was tormenting; most of it had already fallen apart.

"Stay with the medics," he told her, his gaze grew forlorn just as worry drew a veil upon his eyes, "You keep people from dieing, and you're helping prevent the creation of more Akuma. You're not weak, and you're not useless."

"But, you're out there getting shot at and gassed," she defended, her pleas not wavering.

"If you stay back there, and I get hurt; I know I'll be in good hands," Allen's smile gave her a light in her nightmarish life.

"You know what the effects of the gasses; you'll die!" her physiological torment was evident in her voice; no seventeen year old should have to go through something like this.

"I got Crown Clown, I'll be fine," he pressed, though, throughout, his calming touch was not wavering.

"It won't stop you from inhaling it, and it won't stop the German snipers," her eyes downcast, almost in regret for her statement; hands gripping him tighter, in fear of loss.

"Then, I'll try not to get gassed; I got gas masks, anyway. And it's not like I'm wearing my Exorcist uniform out there, they couldn't tell me from an average soldier," his words were so simplistic, yet the implications were profound and sacrificial; gas masks didn't protect the rest of your body from the severe burns, irritations, blisters, just to name a few. His uniform had the rose cross and infantry pin attached to his right collar, and a cross signifying the faction he fought for on his left; he was labeled in plain sight, any sniper could pick out the silver cross on his collar.

Lenalee buried her face in his chest; tears soaking, desperate, pleading, begging words resonating through, "Please, don't suffer for me." He felt her grip tighten further, as through she was holding on for dear life.

Allen leaned his head forward, and she could feel his comforting arms encircle her as his head laid in the crook of her shoulder; her friend's voice was soft, and smooth in its light caress, "Then you might not be alive right now. You shouldn't have to suffer; I won't let you die." – his human hand cradled Lenalee's head as he felt her fresh tears fall against his cheek; the pain of war is something that no person should have to bear. – "I'll protect you."

Her voice was tear shattered and torn, "I - … I don't want another friend to die; there are so few left, Allen; I don't want to lose you, too. Don't sacrifice yourself just like that; _everyone_ needs you." – Her wince drew in a coarse breath; afraid the words ready to fall from her lips were halfhearted or empty, – "_I_ need you." - yet, the pleading, raspy, hoarse words, rolled off her tongue wholeheartedly and gently into Allen's ears.

Lenalee felt a grin play on Allen's face, "Think about it like this: You have the Heart, and if the person who conforms to the Heart dies everyone else's Innocence will die with it. Then, we all die." His voice wasn't sad, it wasn't solemn, it was almost cheery. Allen dawned another mask, and with each word that fell from it, the more he could feel his heart shatter.

"But - ," She tried to protest, confused how he could be so happy in a situation like this, how he could seem happy. That was when she realized how much of a mask he had draped over his cracking heart. The full magnitude of what was happening never really came to her until then; what happened to Allen in the trenches? His smile was never entirely happy, always crooked or twisted in sorrow or shame, his tone was almost always low and coarse, and it was never as joy filled and jubilant as it used to be before the war. What had Allen gone through? His best of masks were shattering, all in an attempt to try to help _her_. He was resorting to changing subjects, and running away. "What happened to you Allen?" She started her thought anew, and alight with tear filled worry; his warm presence gave her a light, though at what cost?

"C'mon," Allen lifted Lenalee with him as he stood, "Let's go get some breakfast." His mask was nearly seamless as he began to walk out of the chapel; she still stood rooted to the spot, eyes cast in thought, almost trancelike.

"Are you coming or not?" Her friend's almost playful voice called out to her, an outstretched hand to meet her; which Lenalee gladly took. Fingers interwoven, they walked out of the chapel; they both wanted life to halt, and stay like this. Together. And they could; but at what cost?

A/N Yay! The rabid plot bunnies stopped procreating! XD Though I feel terrible about the end; I totally BSed it --'. I don't mind making mistakes, though when I don't know how to fix it, like in this case, I just feel pitiful. Sorry, I just wrote this to get somethin' out; sorry for the crappy quality. It's a one-shot... So don't expect anything else.

AKFGdork

Hey... Wait a second... Where's Komui?... Oh, wait... Oh-... Uh-oh... No I -!... Awww, crap.


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